A tyre is manufactured from a collection of semi-finished rubber products in the form of strips, sheets or profiled elements, which may or may not be reinforced, and that are superposed on one another to form a green tyre. Once built, this green tyre is vulcanised in a mould to give a tyre.
The prior art, notably EP 1 858 121, already discloses a tyre containing an electronic device. The electronic device comprises a passive transponder connected to a dipole antenna made up of two strands able to communicate via radiofrequency waves with an external interrogation unit. This type of transponder is generally denoted by the English-language acronym RFID. Such a device is able to store data, for example relating to the identification of the tyre. The electronic device is positioned in the green tyre at an interface between two plies of rubber and is then embedded in the rubber during the vulcanising of the tyre.
The device comprises a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) support comprising a part for attachment of the transponder. The support also comprises an attachment part for each of the strands of the antenna. To manufacture the device, the transponder and one end of each of the two strands of the antenna are positioned on the parts for attachment of the support then the electrical connections are made by soldering these various components together.
Furthermore, once embedded in the rubber of the vulcanised tyre, the electronic device is subjected to local deformations caused by the running of the tyre. These local deformations lead to stresses at the interface. Because of these stresses, the strands break, notably at the joint between the strand and the support. Now, these broken strands have sharp edges or protruding ends which may prove detrimental to the mechanical endurance of the tyre and the safety of the user thereof.